i'm bill clifford, president and ceo of world boston. as we head into the pam assessing the aftermath of the arab spring, allow me to thank todd, president and ceo of the world affairs councils of america, his crack staff, national council chair, laurie murray, and our many sponsors for this significantly stimulating conference thus far. [applause] like america, i am a wash in debt. it's time to make good on those obligations to each here on the panel who i'm honored to present. i had the pleasure of hearing at dozens of universities in the boston area. i'm owing you a way overdue invitation to the council downtown. professor is a senior fellow at the saban center at brookings institution, a distinguished former and current adviser to government agencies, u.s. leaders, and diplomats, and he's a prolific and best-selling author. i'll quote from the top of the website at the university of maryland where he is the professor of peace and development. i have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public po